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by Edya Kalev, Advanced MELT Instructor

You open the bottle, and turn it over. Nothing. Not a drop of ketchup makes it way onto your eagerly awaiting fries. So you screw the cap back on, and shake it. Now the ketchup flows freely down the neck of the bottle, adding the perfect zest to your meal. Yum. That’s pretty amazing, isn’t it? Something was thick and immobile, and in just a few seconds, you changed it into something smooth and flowing. How did that happen?

Actually, there is a scientific explanation. Ketchup is thixotrophic, and thixotrophic substances behave in a particular way. Left alone, they thicken and settle, but when a force acts on them, such as shaking, stirring, or pressing, the mixture thins out. This is in contrast to substances which thicken when agitated, such as how cream turns into butter the more you stir it.

We have thixotrophic substances in our body as well. In fact, the most abundant tissue in our body, connective tissue, is thixotrophic. Connective tissue surrounds and supports every aspect of our body, from muscle to bone, organ to nerve, head to toe. And it gets thickened and thinned according to our activity… or in-activity.

When you sit, stand, or repeat any position for long periods of time, your connective tissue gets more viscous, or “gummed up”. These areas of dehydration cause body-wide stagnation on a cellular level; they disrupt the flow. Organs build up toxins. Muscles have to work harder to contract. Nerve impulses get delayed. That’s why your joints feel achy and stiff when you first get up in the morning, and then when you move around, the stiffness disappears. Your movement rehydrates the connective tissue in the short term. But over time, damage accumulates.

That’s where the MELT Method comes in. MELT was developed by a cranio-sacral therapist and neuromuscular scientist to specifically target the connective tissue’s unique thixotropic characteristics. As we rub, jiggle, and glide over the special soft MELT roller or MELT Balls, the connective tissue liquefies. We work on small areas first, like a section of the calf or the upper back, to create a fluid exchange locally. Then we “Rinse” a broader area and create a full body effect. The results are immediate: better alignment, deeper relaxation, and less pain and strain. Doesn’t that sound like something you want to do everyday?

MELT is a great way to take care of yourself. Try MELTing before a yoga class or gym workout to experience a huge difference in performance and accuracy. You can MELT after a run to remove repetitive stress from the joints. MELTing also improves sleep and digestion, so you might find yourself in a very good mood with great energy throughout the day. And then you can splurge on french fries at dinner, with ketchup of course!

Join me for a MELT Self-Care Immersion at Bread and Yoga on Saturday, November 15 from 1:30-4:30pm. Learn techniques that you can do easily at home to enhance the fluid state of your connective tissue. Register before October 31 and you’ll also receive your very own Mini-MELT ball kit! For more information or to register, CLICK HERE!